Minister's aide arrested over gun at Zanu PF Conference

Police have launched an investigation into a serious security breach at Zanu PF's annual conference held two weeks ago, after a personal assistant to Industry and Commerce Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu was intercepted with a firearm inside the venue.

Brighton Ndebele, who also serves as Zanu PF's secretary for information and publicity in Matabeleland South, appeared before the Mutare Magistrates Court, where he was denied bail. The 40-year-old's arrest has deepened intrigue within ruling party circles amid reports of growing factional tensions between President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his deputy, Constantino Chiwenga.

Sources close to the investigation said security at the conference had been unusually tight, with all security aides - including those attached to cabinet ministers - barred from bringing weapons into the premises. The firearm discovery has triggered a multi-agency probe to determine whether Ndebele's actions were accidental or suggestive of a deliberate security breach.

A senior Zanu PF official in Matabeleland South told ZimLive: "Ndlovu is a close ally of the president, and in the fog of factionalism, Chiwenga's people want to get to the bottom of this - hence his extended incarceration."

As part of the ongoing investigations, police have reportedly interviewed Ndebele's two wives in Bulawayo.

Minister Ndlovu, who also chairs Zanu PF's Matabeleland South provincial structure, said he was surprised by his aide's arrest and distanced himself from the incident.

"I didn't know he had a firearm with him. In any case, his role as my PA does not require him to be in possession of one," Ndlovu said. "He is still in custody so I have not spoken to him. He sent a message just before his phone was taken, just to inform me that he is in custody for possession of a firearm."

Ndebele's background has also come under renewed scrutiny. Before joining politics, he was a pastor in the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Bulawayo but was dismissed in 2017 following a groping scandal involving a female lawyer and church member. He was later convicted of indecent assault, receiving a suspended 12-month prison sentence, and was subsequently deregistered by the church.

Authorities are expected to release further details as investigations into the firearm incident and its possible political implications continue.